Adult Neurology

Our fully accredited four-year categorical program accepts three residents a year. In the PGY2 year, residents spend much of their time on the ward and consult services. In the PGY3 year, residents take advantage of ample elective time to explore a variety of subspecialities. Finally, in the PGY4 year, residents take on a leadership role on the inpatient services.

The neurology ward team consists of an attending, a senior neurology resident, a junior neurology resident, as well as interns and residents from various programs including internal medicine, family medicine, emergency, and psychiatry. The consult team consists of a senior neurology resident and one or two junior neurology residents. Residents on all services take part in the once weekly general neurology clinic, which serves as the resident’s continuity clinic. All six full time faculty attend in the weekly general clinic.

Here is a sample schedule of how residents may spend their neurology training while at Harbor:

Month

PGY2

PGY3

PGY4

1

Ward

Elective

Consult

2

Consult

Neurorehab

Elective

3

Consult

Neuropsych

Ward

4

Peds neuro

Elective

Consult

5

Ward

EEG/EMG

Elective

6

Consult

Elective

Elective

7

Ward

EEG/EMG

Ward

8

Consult

Elective

Ward

9

Neuroradiology

Peds neuro

Consult

10

Consult

Ward

Elective

11

Ward

Elective/ward

Elective

12

Peds neuro

Consult

Elective

PGY1 year: Our neurology residency has recently become a 4-year categorical program. During the first-year internal medicine training at Harbor-UCLA, interns will rotate through the inpatient floors, MICU, CCU, and other specialty services.

PGY2 year: The first-year neurology residents spend their time on the clinical services with approximately 8 months devoted to adult neurology rotations and the remainder of the time to child neurology and neuroradiology. The call schedule averages every 4th night during their first year and while on call the PGY2 will have an intern to direct and teach in regards to seeing consults and admissions. The junior resident will always receive back-up support from the chief resident in making clinical decisions. Residents are expected to master the fundamentals of neurology by the end of their first year.

PGY3 year: The second year of neurology training is designed as a year of guided, personal study in diagnostic techniques and basic science disciplines. They are expected to take call to cover for when the first year resident go on vacation. This averages to no more 5-6 calls the entire academic year. By the end of the second year residents are expected to be competent in neuro-diagnostic procedures (including EEG, evoked potentials, EMG and nerve conduction studies, CT, MRI, and SPECT) and will be responsible for interpreting these investigations on their patients during the third year. The remainder of the second year is set aside for electives during which time the residents may engage in a clinical or laboratory research project under the supervision of a member of the faculty or take additional training in sub-specialized areas of neurology.

PGY4 year: The third-year neurology resident will serve as chief resident on the neurology ward service or the consultation service and will be responsible for patient management as well as instruction of junior residents, interns, and medical students. The chief resident on the wards service will be taking home call to help the junior resident make clinical decisions. The remainder of the year is elective time.